The Overwatch competitive eSports scene is on something of a meteoric rise. The Overwatch League (OWL) was first
announced by Blizzard back in October 2016 and in July 2017, Blizzard announced that they would be mandating that teams
provide a base $50k salary to its players and health insurance. The first regular season got underway this past January.
Rather than tie the league around monthly tournaments and events as most other eSports league, Overwatch has established city-based squads that are backed by a celebrity. Like traditional sports such as basketball and football, the teams engage in regular season games and the top teams advance to the playoffs, which are currently underway.
The familiar structure of the Overwatch League has attracted some familiar team owners, including the New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft and Stan Kroenke, owner of the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Rams. Several corporations and conglomerates own Overwatch teams, including Comcast, OpTic Gaming, and China's NetEase.
The Overwatch League quarterfinals start today at 8 PM est and matches will be aired on ESPN, Disney, and ABC networks.
As part of the broadcast deal Blizzard brokered with Disney, the season 1 playoffs will be televised, along with the July 27th, Grand Finals that will be held at the Barclays Center in New York. The deal will extend into season 2 as well.
Check out the programming guide to the OWL Playoffs below:
Disney XD and ESPN 3: July 11 at 8PM and 10PM ( Quarterfinals Day 1)
Disney XD and ESPN 3: July 13 at 8PM (Quarterfinals Day 2)
Disney XD and ESPN 3: July 14 at 4PM (Quarterfinals Day 3)
Disney XD and ESPN 3: July 18 at 8PM and 10PM (Semifinals Day 1)
ESPNews : July 20 at 7PM (Semifinals Day 2)
ESPN2 : July 21 at 7PM (Semifinals Day 3)
ESPN : July 27 at 7PM (Finals Day 1)
Disney XD and ESPN3 : July 28 at 4:30 PM (Finals Day 2)
ESPN2 : July 28 at 9PM (re-airing of Finals Day 2)
ABC and ESPN 3 : July 29 at 3PM (Tournament Highlights/recap)